Uneven staining happens with pyrocat-HD?

[agraveman]

I developed a roll of TX400 in a 2-months old pyrocat-HD developer with a fresh bottle of TF-3. After washing, it hangs to dry, and within this period of time which the film actually contact air, an uneven stain developed. It has some adjacency effect with it, when it touches the high light part of the film, the stain disappeared. Some suggested when the developer ages, the potency of the pyrocatechin decrease, but I was quite generous in the amount of developer I used, I used 600mL 1:1:100 for one 120 roll. I figured something must be wrong with the developer. So I thrown away the bottle and mix another batch 2 weeks ago. I developed at least 20 rolls without any problems. Today when I developed a roll of TMX, another form of uneven staining appears. This time is a purplish stain about the same feature as the last uneven stain except this time, it clears at the edge of the film where the film reel sits. For the record, I store my chemical in polypropylene bottles and used separate syringe for two solutions. I admit this time around I didn't use the freshest fixer, it is also a acidic fixer(kodafix). So what is happening to all the staining and how to avoid it?
BTW, what is everyone's working dilution of pyrocat-hd and development time? Especially those using something like 1.5:1:175

 

[Ian Grant]

Sounds like the anti-halation layer of the films and not enough fixing.

Ian

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

Sounds like the anti-halation layer of the films and not enough fixing.

Ian

Those were my first thoughts as well...

 

[agraveman]

I do presoak my films before putting them in developer. And the stain grow darker after a minute or two after I remove the developed film from all the solutions. I think I fix the film adequately using kodafix for 12 minutes with half of the time agitating.

 

[Ian Grant]

The purple stain with Tmax is the dyes in the film, they are quite difficult to remove, it may be that your Kodafix isn't fresh enough. (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

It's unlikely to be the developer unless the Pyrocatechin you're using is old and partially de-composed, in which case the developer will have a darkish colour before you begin processing, and is quite obvious,

Ian

 

[agraveman]

I tired to refix the film with fresh fixer over the weekend, the stain still persist. It is not as magenta as the anti-halation dye, it's a plum kind of color. Sorry I can't scan 120 negs right now.

 

[Ian Grant]

If any Pyractachin developer goes off, and a dark blue/brown colour it will stain anything it comes into contact with.

I use a Pyrocatechin toner/redeveloper (ILford) IT-8 and if the redeveloper a simple Pyrocatechin/Carbonate solution oxidises it stains the paper base patchily.

So with Pyrocat HD you must use within a few minutes of making up, but it turns quite dark before it starts staining the base and I've only seen it happen once. In my case the Pyrocatechin I was using was old 20+ years and partially oxidised and caused heavy base staining.

You need to see how your negatives print, there may be no problem

Ian

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

It is not as magenta as the anti-halation dye, it's a plum kind of color. Sorry I can't scan 120 negs right now.

The stain on the NEW T-Max 400 is more of a purple color than the old magenta...

 

[sanking]

You may also be getting dichroic fog from the use of old and exhausted fixer. This stain has a greenish (by reflected light) or purplish (by transmitted light) look. When the film is wet the fog can be wiped off with a sponge, but once it hardens you can not remove it with fresh fixer.

If what you have is dichroic fog mix up a solution of one gram of thiourea and one gram of citric acid in 100 ml of water and soak the film for a few minutes. If the cause was weak of exhausted fixer, you should also fix he film again in fresh fixer.

If the cause of the uneven stain was inadequate removal of the anti-halation backing you can get rid of this even years later with a soak in fresh fixer, or if that does not do the trick, a soak of about ten minutes in a 2% sodium sulfite solution.

Sandy King